Trauma Does Not Have To Define You

— "The pain of life is pure salt – no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. But the amount of pain we taste depends on the container we put it into. When you are in pain, the only thing you can do is enlarge your sense of things Stop being a glass. Become a lake."

Childhood sexual abuse is the most traumatic of all wounds, for it is a betrayal at the very root of our being. It turns us against ourselves in such a way that, more often than not, victims become convinced that the fault is theirs. To find a way back from that injury, to prevail and rise above it, is to do the seemingly impossible. In Anne de Nada's book: Twisted Roots, Standing Tall, she recounts her long dance from the darkness of the soul into the love and light of an open heart, as she courageously heeds her soul's insistence and clears away her legacy of trauma from both infant sexual abuse and incest. Born into both emotional and economic poverty, Anne's early life consisted of only obstacles and challenges. But she never gave up, and she continually trusted in her own guidance, being rewarded with insight and wisdom. Whenever it felt like her life was not flowing, she took that as a sign that it was time to do more healing, clearing away the trauma that lay embedded deep in cellular memory. Anne's story speaks to the gift of grace and the indomitable courage of the human heart. As Anne continued to heal, she discovered many essential truths about life, among them that we are never given something we cannot handle, that life is about manifesting the deepest desires of our hearts, and that the thing we most fear is our own greatness.

Valeria Teles interviews Anne De Nada — the author of "Twisted Roots, Standing Tall: My Journey to Heal, Learn, and Rise from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse."

Anne de Nada is an author, speaker, artist, poet and advocate for awareness of sexual violence. Having been orphaned and left destitute at 16 years old, she transcended her trauma to attain an education and become a successful businesswoman and world traveler. Today, de Nada is a healer in her own right, and her purpose is to inspire others to heal their lives and to bring more light and love into the world for the benefit of all humanity. She has also written "Whispers of Grace: Volume I" and "Whispers of Grace: Volume II," which showcase her art and poetry.

To learn more about Anne De Nada and her work, please visit: annedenada.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.